


be my shelter from the storm

by BananasofThorns



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I hate writing summaries, Minecraft Mechanics, Post-War, Techno and Dream have a very fun relationship to write, Time Skips, aka Wilbur doesn't die, post November 16, this is all platonic, this is not a shipfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27780856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns
Summary: After it's all over, Techno finds Wilbur's barely-breathing body in the rubble of L'manberg. He retreats into the wilderness far away from the government, intent on saving his brother and rebuilding. Unfortunately, some people don't know the meaning of "secret." (But Techno's not complaining. Much.)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson
Comments: 36
Kudos: 492





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [title from The War - SYML]  
> fic inspired by [these tweets](https://twitter.com/kjjrro/status/1328759320721432576)
> 
> not super happy with how this turned out but. enjoy!!

After it’s all over, Techno finds Wilbur in the rubble. Ignoring the too-large puddle of mostly-dried blood, he sinks to his knees and reaches out a hand to his brother’s face. He pulls away at the last second; Wilbur’s body is already stained by blood and tears and ash. Techno doesn’t need to make it worse.

He feels numb.

Carefully, he slides his arms beneath Wilbur’s shoulders and legs to lift him up, only to freeze. The wound on Wilbur’s side is long and bloody, but...his chest rises very, very slowly, so faint that Techno would’ve missed it if he hadn’t trained himself to notice every last detail in any given situation. _Fuck,_ he thinks, scrambling to set Wilbur back on the ground as quickly as he can without making anything worse. He has no idea how Wilbur has survived this long but...gods, of _course_ Phil would do his best to give his son even a small chance at life.

He pulls his last two instant health potions from his belt and smashes them on the ground, careful to keep the glass away from Wilbur’s body. The gash seals up, slightly, and his breathing grows stronger, but...that’s it. Out of potions and unwilling to force-feed Wilbur a golden apple until he knows he won’t choke, Techno sighs and picks him up. Doing his best not to jostle anything, he stands and slowly makes his way out of the rubble. All of his horses are at his base and he won’t risk using pearls or the trident with Wilbur still so close to death, so he starts the too-long walk back.

The entire way, a smudge of obnoxiously bright green hovers at the corner of his vision. It disappears whenever he turns, though, so he just rolls his eyes and lets Dream follow. They won’t fight each other. Not now, not with Wilbur dying in Techno’s arms.

Once they reach the end of the cobblestone bridge over the ocean, Dream leaves.

+++

The base, when Techno arrives, is seemingly untouched. He stares at the water for a long moment before sighing and begrudgingly setting Wilbur with the horses. Carl noses at Wilbur’s hair and Techno frowns at him.

“Hey,” he says, nudging the horse’s face away. “Hey, don’t do that. I’ll be right back, make sure he doesn’t die or get stolen or anythin’.”

Carl snorts, which Techno takes as a yes. He watches for a moment longer before heading inside.

Again, everything seems the same as it had been when he’d left; his chests are still in disarray, but nothing worse than what everyone had already done. Sighing, Techno wrings the water out of his hair and starts picking through what remains, grabbing everything that’s most important. By the time he’s done, his ender chest and inventory are both completely full, and his belt and the pockets on his cloak are heavy with all his remaining potions and glass jars. He looks around at his empty base and is almost...sad, to have to leave it.

But it’s necessary. Everyone else will cause too many problems now that they know where this place is.

“Take care of everythin’,” he tells Hubert and Fool, even though neither of them are looking at him. “I dunno how long I’ll be gone, so.”

Unsurprisingly, there’s no response. The silence lingers, just on the wrong side of awkward, and Techno steps into the water elevator and leaves.

Wilbur is, unsurprisingly, exactly where he’d left him. Carl is nosing at his hair again, so Techno pushes the horse away as he kneels down. Wilbur’s face and clothes are still bloody and ash-stained, but he can’t do anything about that right now, so he just throws another splash potion of health onto the ground. A few of the scratches on Wilbur’s face and hands seal up entirely; the wound on his side still looks awful, but it’s better than it had been. Techno pours a regeneration potion onto some bandages and wraps Wilbur’s side as best he can - he’ll have to fix it later; right now, they need to go. L’manberg is going to send people over soon, and Techno isn’t planning on being there when they do.

Carefully, he lifts Wilbur onto Carl and then hoists himself up, leaning Wilbur’s body against his chest. It’s not very comfortable, and Wilbur’s hair gets into his mouth almost immediately, but it’ll do.

“Alright, Carl,” Techno says, briefly wondering when he got into the habit of talking to things that can’t respond. “You remember that village we saved from a raid a few months back?”

He thinks it was months. It probably was, but he’s always been bad with time. Whatever - he still knows how to get there.

Carl huffs under his breath and Techno turns him north.

“Well, off we go.”

+++

The sun is setting by the time they reach the village. If he was on his own, Techno would continue through the night, but he doesn’t want to go riding through the forest in the dark with Wilbur’s still-unconscious body hindering his reflexes. When he slows Carl on the outskirts of town, all the villagers start poking their heads out. He nods to a few of the ones he recognizes when they greet him with surprised hums.

“You guys have a cleric yet?” He asks, even though he knows the answer will be no.

One of the farmers shakes his head apologetically, but Techno just shrugs and allows them to lead him to an uninhabited house. They’ve repaired well since the raid, but there are still a few creeper holes - _not_ Techno’s fault - that need to be patched. Maybe he’ll stop by to help once he’s set up his new base.

Maybe. If he remembers, which knowing him, he probably won’t.

The farmer tries to offer up some food but Techno waves him off, pointing him towards Carl instead. There’s not a stable built in town, but Carl will be safe enough tied up outside the small home Techno has been given for the night. He slowly lifts Wilbur off the horse and carries him inside, ignoring the villagers’ low, worried murmuring.

“I’ll leave in the mornin’,” he assures them, gently settling Wilbur onto the single bed. “Just needed a place to stay for tonight.”

A fletcher hums questioningly; Techno still isn’t used to the dialects on Dream’s world, but he knows enough to make out “war.”

“Oh, right, yeah. It’s over now, L’manberg won, Schlatt is dead, my dad joined the world,” he summarizes. Mostly. “Everything’ll probably be calm for a while.”

The fletcher hums again, this time with a pointed look at Wilbur. Techno smiles, aiming for reassuring.

“He’ll be fine, I just need to watch over him for a bit.”

The villagers seem to buy it. One by one, they stop crowding him and return to their homes. The farmer feeds Carl one last carrot and leaves; he glances over his shoulder once and Techno waves him off. He’s not hungry but, even if he was, his cow farm has kept him plenty stocked food-wise.

Ah, shit. His _cows._ He’ll need to transport them at some point too, won’t he? Or he’ll need to start another pit, closer to wherever his new base will be. Whatever. Techno sighs, going to sink onto the floor before remembering the potions in his pockets. Maybe he’ll go back to farming potatoes; it’d certainly be easier.

Food supply is a distant worry for the future, however. Techno carefully unclasps his cloak and drapes it over the bed frame, then pulls more bandages and another regeneration potion from his pockets. Gingerly, he pushes the edge of Wilbur’s coat out of the way and unwraps the bandages, wincing when they stick to Wilbur’s skin with dried blood. He’s more thorough this time, using half of the potion to clean the entire wound and then pouring the rest on the bandage before rewrapping Wilbur’s side. After a moment of deliberation, he pulls out his second-to-last splash potion of health and smashes it. A few more of Wilbur’s cuts seal up into nothing more than thin, barely-visible scars that’ll be gone in a few days. His complexion looks healthier, too, but he’s still far too pale for Techno’s liking.

Carefully, he gathers up the smashed glass and tosses it outside. A zombie groans from the forest, barely visible on the edges of the torchlight, and he barely spares it a glance before putting a crossbow bolt through its head.

The night is eerily quiet without the burbling of his water elevator or the grunts from Hubert and Fool. Techno spends it on the ground beside Wilbur’s bed, watching the weak rise and fall of his brother’s chest. He hasn’t slept in days, but he’s still too keyed up to do more than drift in half-awareness the entire night. By the time the sun rises and the villagers have started their tasks, he’s managed to catch maybe two hours of sleep.

Grunting, he pushes himself to his feet and stretches, wincing at the series of pops that follows.

Wilbur seems to have stabilized overnight; he hasn’t gotten any better or worse, and his breathing is still shallow, but it’s at least evened out. When Techno unwraps the bandages, nothing seems infected. Good. He debates using another regeneration potion on the bandages, but he’s running low and won’t be able to make more for a while, so he settles for using his last health potion.

After eating a few golden apples to chase away the lingering effects of sleep deprivation, Techno drapes his cloak back over his shoulders and lifts Wilbur up. It’s a bit awkward to maneuver, but he eventually manages to get out the door and back to Carl. The horse snorts in greeting and Techno pats him on the head, then feeds him a few carrots before mounting up with Wilbur.

They pass one of the farmers on their way out. The villager waves and Techno slows, belatedly remembering that he was going to give them the materials for a golem. He won’t always be able to save them from raids, after all. The farmer’s eyes go wide when Techno hands him the iron blocks, but he accepts with shaking hands, only to nearly drop the items when Techno adds a handful of emeralds.

“I can get you some pumpkin seeds in a few days if you don’t have any,” he says; the farmer shakes his head and gestures to a barn-like building. “Okay, then I guess I won’t. Anyways, thanks for lettin’ us stay the night. Don’t tell anyone you saw us.”

He turns to leave. The farmer does an awkward half-bow, trying not to drop the iron and emeralds, and Techno rolls his eyes.

“No, no, don’t— don’t bow to me, I didn’t do anythin’!”

The farmer hums with a pointed look at the items in his arms, and then an even wider and more pointed look at the village itself. Techno groans.

“Oh my gods. Next time I won’t even bother.”

The farmer hums again and Techno ignores him, leading Carl into the woods that line the village. He’s not exactly sure how far he’ll go, but it’ll be at least a few miles before he even starts looking for a place for his base.

Wilbur’s body is heavy and barely warm against his chest, and Techno can’t stop himself from glancing down every few minutes to make sure he’s still breathing.

+++

After about a day and a half, the bare bones of the cottage are done and all Techno needs to do is add windows and, of course, build the secret base beneath his house where all the important things will go.

He also needs to build a farm, and stables for Carl and his horses, but those are things for the future. For now, he’s worrying about windows and storage and redstone.

And then, suddenly, when he returns from collecting sand to find the cottage door ajar, windows are the least of his worries. His sword is in his hand before he can form a coherent thought that isn’t just panic and he creeps forward, free hand reaching for one of the last strength potions on his belt. He pushes the door open carefully, footsteps silent on the oak flooring. The anxiety only gets worse when he realizes the door to Wilbur’s room is open, too.

He abandons all attempts at stealth and charges in, smashing the strength potion to the ground at his feet. The intruder, kneeling on the ground beside Wilbur’s bed, spins, and Techno snarls at the familiar lime green cloak.

“What the hell,” he mutters, adrenaline fading from his system as even he politely ignores Dream scrambling to pull his mask back on. Calmer: “This place was supposed to be a _secret._ ”

Dream stands. “Sorry,” he says, and it almost sounds genuine. “I just wanted to check in, see how W— how you guys were doing.”

“ _Secret,”_ Techno repeats. 

Belatedly, he lowers his sword and returns it to its sheath. Dream raises his hands placatingly; only now does Techno realize that he’s swaying, very faintly, on his feet.

“I won’t tell anyone else about this, I swear. You have my word.”

Techno rolls his eyes. “If I suddenly have a bunch of L’manberg people swarmin’ this place, I’m killin’ you first.”

“You couldn’t.” There’s a grin in Dream’s voice, and Techno snorts.

“Lies. Why are you here, disturbin’ my peace?”

Dream glances over his shoulder at Wilbur, so fast Techno almost misses it.

“I just wanted to check in,” he repeats.

It’s a half-truth. Techno raises an eyebrow, then automatically reaches for his sword when an item appears in Dream’s hand with a dull flash of white. He relaxes slightly when he recognizes the purple-pink liquid, shimmering brighter than any potion he’s ever made.

“Regeneration,” Dream explains unnecessarily. “I figured you’d be running low, so...here.”

He all but shoves the bottle into Techno’s hands. It’s definitely stronger than anything Techno’s ever brewed, probably stronger than anything _anyone_ can brew on this world; he can feel the power thrumming through the glass.

“Give that to Wilbur when he wakes up,” Dream says, then pauses. “I think it’ll be soon, if I—”

Techno carefully tucks the potion into his inventory. “How long did that take you to brew?”

“Oh, you know.” Dream shrugs, faux-casual. “A few days, probably, I’m not really sure.”

It’s only _been_ a few days since the war. Techno frowns at him for a moment, then turns to look at Wilbur. If he squints, he can see traces of Dream’s bright magic coalesced around Wilbur’s head and the wound on his side. That explains why Dream’s shaking, at least. Techno looks back up, snorting when Dream develops a sudden interest in the wall behind him.

“Simp.”

The force of Dream’s glare is so strong that he can feel it through the mask.

“I am _not—_ look, just because I don’t want my fr— my _ally_ to die doesn’t mean I’m a simp!”

“Sounds like somethin’ a simp would say.”

“You—” Dream sighs. “Whatever, see if I don’t tell anyone about this place _now._ ”

He pushes past Techno out of the room and Techno follows, gently closing the door behind them. Dream stalks out of the house, obnoxiously vibrant cloak flapping behind him, and Techno rolls his eyes. 

“Dream,” he calls once Dream is almost out of the clearing. “Thanks.”

Dream turns, a flash of his smile visible beneath the mask before his hood covers it. He nods once, then disappears into the trees. 

+++

Phil shows up two days later, and Techno isn’t even surprised. His base beneath the cottage is mostly finished and he’s working on a new farm, so he sees Phil immediately when his dad steps through the trees. Techno sighs, slinging the hoe over his shoulder and brushing a stray hair from his face.

“This place was supposed to be a secret,” he calls. Phil laughs.

“Dream said you wouldn’t mind.”

Techno rolls his eyes; of course the green bastard did. Still, he sets the hoe down and walks over, pushing the door open to let Phil inside. Phil stares at him for a long moment before sighing, and Techno freezes as he’s pulled into a hug.

“You smell disgusting,” Phil mutters. He doesn’t pull away, though, and Techno slowly wraps his arms around his dad’s shoulders.

“I was farmin’,” he points out.

Phil laughs, stepping back. The happiness fades from his face. “How’s Wilbur?”

“He’s...he’s doin’ better,” Techno says, leading Phil into Wilbur’s room. “He woke up for the first time yesterday—” true to Dream’s word “—but he’s still pretty out of it.”

He lets Phil take the chair beside the bed and instead lingers in the doorway. Phil brushes Wilbur’s hair off his forehead and Techno looks away, chest tight. Why does he suddenly feel like crying?

“Dream gave me this super powerful potion,” he continues instead. “It basically completely healed his wound but he’s still been sleepin’ a lot, so I don’t—”

“His body is probably still recovering. He’s gone through a lot in the past few months...to be honest, he probably needs the rest.” Phil chuckles and Techno tries to ignore the bitter, mournful edge.

“Yeah, fair enough.”

They sit in silence for a while, listening to Wilbur’s slow, steady breathing. He’s looking much healthier, especially with the help of Dream’s potion, and Techno allows himself to relax for the first time in...weeks, probably.

He clears his throat. “I need to tie up some loose ends at my old base.”

“I can watch him,” Phil says. “I need to...apologize, anyway.”

Techno understands that. He nods, frowning when a stray piece of hair flops into his face. Phil chuckles.

“Alright.” Techno shifts, glancing at Wilbur. “I’ll leave tomorrow,” he decides.

+++

The area around his base is, somewhat surprisingly, seemingly untouched when he arrives. Carl is back at the cottage, so Techno trades his trident for his sword in a blinding flash of white. No traps go off when he drops into the base; Hubert and Fool grunt and clatter in greeting, apparently untouched. Techno nods at them, then freezes when he notices a sign that hadn’t been there previously.

 _Made sure nobody came snooping._ _  
_ _You’re welcome._

_\- :)_

He rolls his eyes, breaking the sign with one sharp movement of his sword. True to Dream’s words, though, everything is in place when he does an inspection. He gathers the rest of his items and breaks the chests, storing them in his inventory.

The base looks so barren, just rough-hewn rock and smooth blackstone. Techno sighs, looking between Hubert, Fool, and the water elevator.

“Alright, you guys wanna go on an adventure or stay here and get blown up?”

Neither Fool nor Hubert seems particularly inclined either way. He rolls his eyes and, after a moment, nudges them both towards the water elevator. Hubert’s grunt is sucked away as he flies upward and Fool clatters, startled. Techno pushes him up and steps in after.

He nearly trips over Fool when he reaches the surface. Shaking his head, he pulls his pickaxe from his inventory and breaks the wall hiding his horses.

“Andrew,” he calls, “you miss me?”

Andrew whinnies. Techno leads him from his stall and, after a moment of deliberation, sets the other horses free. It’s not like he needs them anymore; they can roam the wilderness or get snatched up by L’manberg, he doesn’t really care.

He leads Andrew, Fool, and Hubert a safe distance away from the base and then repeats the process with the rest of the horses. A stack of TNT appears beneath his arm in a blinding white flash; with his free hand, Techno points at them all sharply.

“Stay here, _do not move._ You hear me? If I come back and you’ve wandered away, I’m gonna be so mad.” He makes eye contact with each of them to make sure they understand. “Good.”

He turns away and drops back into the base, shaking the water from his hair. It only takes a few minutes to line the place with TNT and after his hands are empty, Techno stands in the middle of it all and stares. This place was never really a home, but...he’ll miss it. But he definitely doesn’t feel bad about blowing it up; if Tommy thought he would just be able to steal from his leftovers, he was _wrong._

Techno shakes his head and steps towards the elevator one last time. With a burning flash, the crossbow appears in his hands. He loads it with his last firework, aims, and fires at the furthest bit of TNT that he can see. It’s probably a little risky, shooting a rocket in such close quarters, but hey— Technoblade never dies.

+++

The walk back to the cottage is agonizingly slow with Hubert and Fool. Techno almost wishes he’d decided to bring Carl, but he also doubts that either of them are smart enough to ride a horse without assistance, so whatever. It’s fine, he can deal.

The villagers stare at him when he rests there for the second night in two weeks; they definitely aren’t used to seeing him so often. They’re going to have to get used to it, though, and Techno hopes they adjust sooner rather than later because he’s getting tired of the whole hero-worship thing they have going on. Just because he saved them one time and gave them a bunch of his spare emeralds and iron doesn’t mean he’s _good_. When he leaves the next morning, he says goodbye by stealing some of their carrots for Andrew.

The farmer that sees him do it doesn’t even bother to protest. What a loser.

When he arrives home, Wilbur is awake and both he and Phil watch with raised eyebrows as Techno leads Hubert and Fool into the cottage. Wilbur sips his soup, not even bothering to hide a grin.

“Oh, you brought friends!”

Techno rolls his eyes and pointedly ignores Phil’s laughter. “These are my butlers, they’re useless. Did you steal my food?”

“What else were we supposed to eat?” Phil asks. Techno frowns at him.

“You weren’t.”

Wilbur pouts. “But we would’ve starved, Techno! I’m still heal— I’m a growing boy, I need my nutrients!”

“You’re taller than us both, shut up.”

They all stare at each other for a moment before dissolving into helpless laughter. Techno claps a hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking silently. Wilbur sighs.

“Oh, I’ve missed you guys.”

It’s almost family.

+++

Wilbur is...different, after Phil leaves. He’s quieter - though by no means quiet - which Techno can understand; they haven’t seen Phil in so long, and Wilbur has always been a father’s boy. (They all have, to be honest, but Techno has gotten better at hiding it.) But he’s also more relaxed, which confuses Techno until he remembers that Phil had been the one to stab Wilbur in the first place. And then— yeah. It makes sense.

They carefully do not talk about anything from the war. Techno doesn’t speak about it at all and Wilbur goes silent for hours if he ever accidentally mentions something. They skirt around everything concerning L’manberg and Pogtopia, actually, and Wilbur pointedly ignores the heaviness in the air whenever he makes jokes about Tommy or talks about something Fundy or Tubbo or Nikie had done.

They do not talk about Dream, although Techno desperately wants to ask; Wilbur glares at him and goes silent whenever he says something. Eventually, Techno just gives up.

They don’t talk about a lot of things, actually, and five days after Phil leaves, Techno is tired of Wilbur’s too-cheerful chatter and grieving silences. 

“I’m going to the village,” he finally says, because even the villagers’ hero-worship is better than whatever Wilbur has going on right now.

Wilbur hums, tapping a beat on the table. “Okay, and?”

Techno rolls his eyes. “Do you want anythin’?”

There’s a pause. Wilbur hums again, a half-lyric that Techno doesn’t recognize.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t think they’d have anything I need.”

 _You’re so dramatic,_ Techno doesn’t say. Instead, he just pulls himself up onto Carl and tilts his head down to catch Wilbur’s eye.

“Don’t do anythin’ stupid while I’m gone.”

Wilbur laughs, teeth flashing. “I would never.”

Techno shakes his head and spins Carl around, leaving the clearing without another word. Wilbur’s laughter follows him into the forest.

The villagers stare at him when he arrives. He should be used to it by now, but he’s not, and he bangs on their bell with more force than perhaps necessary. Once they’ve all gathered, humming inquisitively, he smiles. In a burning-bright flash of white, a quarter-stack of emeralds appears in his hands.

“Anyone have a guitar they wanna give me?”

+++

The sun has almost set by the time Techno returns to the cottage. He finds Wilbur in his room, staring blankly up at the ceiling as his fingers tap an absentminded beat on his arm. From the doorway, Techno clears his throat and Wilbur looks over, hands freezing.

“You’re back.”

Techno raises an eyebrow. “I— yes, I am, congratulations on noticin’.” Wilbur makes a face at him. “I have somethin’ for you.”

“You— what? I told you I didn’t need anything.”

“You’re a fuckin’ liar. Here.”

He steps fully into the room and holds out the guitar. Wilbur scrambles to his feet so fast that he nearly trips himself; Techno instinctively grabs his shoulder to keep him from falling.

“You—” Wilbur stares, mouth gaping. “Techno, _what?_ ”

Techno shoves the guitar into his hands. “Figured you’d need somethin’ to pass the time.”

“I—”

Before Techno can blink, Wilbur all but tackles him into a hug. They sway for a moment, guitar knocking awkwardly into Techno’s side before he regains his footing. Slowly, he returns the hug.

“Thank you,” Wilbur murmurs into Techno’s shoulder. It’s not just for the guitar, and Techno squeezes his brother tighter. “Thank you, Technoblade.”

Techno shrugs as best he can. “Don’t mention it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few notes on mechanics & such because I think they're fun:
> 
> 1) Techno is lowkey a god so he can understand the villagers, but he's still relatively new to Dream's world so some local dialect things are lost to him. Other people on the world who can understand the villagers are Dream and Bad, and Tubbo is learning as best he can
> 
> 2) Dream and Techno are both gods, or something like that (but Dream is more powerful, at least here), and so they can do more minecraft-y things like message people and access their inventory. Other people can message but only in response (ie they have to be messaged first). When Dream accesses his inventory, the item(s) appear with a dull white flash. When Techno does it, the item(s) appear with a very bright, burning flash.
> 
> 3) Next chapter is just going to be Dream's POV of the first part(s) of this chapter because I really like writing his and Wilbur's relationship. It'll also give a little more insight into Dream and his powers


	2. coda: Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is almost 2k words and I'm not really sure how that happened. Anyway, here's Dream's POV of the fic. Enjoy!

Dream watches from afar as Techno carries Wilbur’s body back to his base. Wilbur isn’t dead, Dream  _ knows _ he isn’t - he’d faked the death log, after all - but cold heaviness still coalesces in his lungs. He pushes it down, bouncing from block to block at the edge of Techno’s vision. The man knows he’s there, he has to, but Dream still hides every time he looks. It’s a habit, at this point.

When Techno gets closer to his base, though, Dream tugs off his too-conspicuous cloak and folds it carefully into his inventory. It’s far too easy to fade into the scenery, and when Techno disappears into the base, Dream watches over Wilbur from the branches of a tree. A zombie wanders too close for comfort, eyes empty and mouth gaping. Dream fires an arrow through its head and watches the body burn; it disappears into smoke with a flick of his wrist. A few moments later, Techno returns.

Dream follows them north, careful to keep far enough behind that Techno won’t see him. It isn’t hard, given that Techno’s riding a horse and he isn’t, but the plains offer shit cover and the mobs aren’t helping. He ends up falling behind, but it isn’t that big of a deal; he knows what direction they were going and he comes across the village eventually. Techno’s horse is easily recognizable with its diamond armor and Dream settles into a tree to wait.

At one point, a spider scuttles up the trunk, hissing, but he cuts it down before it can get closer than a foot; its body disappears before it can even hit the ground. After that, none of the mobs bother him. He grins sharply beneath the mask. The rest of the night passes slowly.

The sun rises and with it, the village wakes. Dream watches from his tree as the villagers start their day, greeting each other cheerfully. There are murmurs and glances to the house Techno and Wilbur are in, and everyone falls silent when Techno emerges with Wilbur in his arms, squinting against the sunlight. Dream snorts to himself as Techno fumbles to mount his horse without dropping Wilbur, but he can’t help the irrational worry that Wilbur will fall. His fingers stray towards the shape of an ender pearl tucked away in his inventory and he curls his hand into a fist to stop the urge to intervene.

When Techno leads his horse into the forest, Dream waits until no villagers are looking before dropping silently to the ground, the tree branches whispering in his wake. It’s easier to stay out of sight with the trees surrounding them; Dream follows from a handful of yards back until Techno stops in a small clearing. Leaves and branches stretch above them, dappling the ground in green and gold.

“I think we’ve found it,” Techno says to the air, dropping carefully off his horse.

He lifts Wilbur down and settles him onto the too-long grass of the forest floor. Dream pulls himself up into a tree as Techno scans the area, arms crossed.

“Yeah, this is it.”

Dream marks the coordinates in his mind and leaps from the tree, footsteps silent on the ground. He doesn’t look back, but he knows Techno doesn’t see him.

+++

The potion sits heavy in the pocket of Dream’s cloak as he makes his way back to Techno’s new base. It’s only been a few days (he thinks), but he isn’t surprised that Techno already has most of a cottage built. He waits until the other man is out gathering resources before sneaking in, not bothering to close the door behind him.

It’s always best to give Techno a warning; Dream isn’t looking to get murdered today. He leaves the door open to Wilbur’s room, too.

There are no curtains over the window - currently just a hole in the wall - so sunlight streams in, bathing the room in gold. Wilbur’s coat, tattered but recently cleaned, hangs over one of the bedposts. Other than the bed itself and a small nightstand, the room is empty. Dream swallows and steps forward.

Wilbur, somehow, looks so small in the bed, swamped in blankets. Small and young, despite the fact that he is both taller and older (technically) than Dream.

Dream sighs and kneels down beside the bed.

“Hey,” he says, and then winces when his voice comes out scratchy. He clears his throat and tries again. “Hey, Wilbur. You, uh, you probably can’t hear me right now, but— I wanted to apologize. A bit. Because it was kind of my fault that you almost died— I gave you that TNT. I helped you rig it, and I told you to detonate it no matter what. And I probably could’ve stopped Phil from killing you - almost - but I didn’t. I even helped him fake it for the others.”

He sighs again and then chuckles, wry. “I guess a deal’s a deal, huh?” The silence hangs heavy, and he coughs. “Anyway, an apology is only one of the reasons I’m here. I figured I could...speed the recovery process along a bit, you know?”

Wilbur, of course, doesn’t answer. Dream swallows and reaches up, curling his fingers around the cold, smooth edge of his mask. It slides off easily and he rests it beside him on the floor, the smile facing towards the ceiling.

It feels weird to have air on his face. He brushes some hair back from his eyes, grimacing at the feeling of scar tissue beneath his fingers.

“I’ve never actually tried this before, so—” he laughs nervously. “Hope this works!”

He raises his hands and pretends they aren’t shaking when he settles one on Wilbur’s forehead and the other over the wound on his side. The Universe hums beneath his fingertips and he concentrates, drawing on his world’s power to soothe the tears in Wilbur’s body. He doesn’t realize he’s closed his eyes until he opens them and burning slashes of bright, brilliant green paint his vision.

In the bed, Wilbur groans, and Dream pulls away as hastily as he can without imploding his work.

“Who...?” Wilbur mumbles, squinting blearily; Dream has to remember to breathe when he realizes his mask is still on the floor beside him. “What’s goin’ on?”

Dream swallows around the lump in his throat. “Nothing, Wilbur, you’re fine. Go back to sleep.” Wilbur frowns.

“Who...Dream?”

“Go to sleep,” Dream repeats.

“It— it hurts,” Wilbur says, eyebrows scrunching.

Dream’s fingers twitch, and the bright green coalesced around Wilbur’s side and forehead snaps like lightning. He swallows.

“I know. I’m helping you, okay? Go back to sleep.”

Wilbur grimaces. “Alright?” His eyelids are already drooping, exhaustion and magic pulling him back under. “Don’t— don’t leave, okay? I don’t like being alone.”

He’s asleep before Dream can make a promise he can’t keep, and Dream is glad. He finishes his work carefully and sighs as the jagged neon light fades from immediate visibility. The exhaustion hits him suddenly and he slumps, resting his forehead against the mattress before he can stop himself. He knew it’d take a lot out of him, to use his powers like that, but  _ gods— _

Angry footsteps and the smashing of a potion bottle break him from his daze, but Techno is already in the room by the time he remembers his mask.

“This place was supposed to be a  _ secret, _ ” Techno says, forcibly deadpan, and Dream hastily slides the mask over his face before scrambling to his feet, grimacing when spots dance before his eyes and he almost loses his footing.

“Sorry,” he says, and mostly means it, if only because of the anxiety he’d caused. “I just wanted to check in, see how W— how you guys were doing.”

He winces at the slip, but Techno either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. He’s already sheathed his sword, but Dream raises his hands anyway.

“I won’t tell anyone else about this, I swear. You have my word.”

Techno’s eyebrow twitches. “If I suddenly have a bunch of L’manberg people swarmin’ this place, I’m killin’ you first.”

Dream grins. “You couldn’t,” he says, even though they both know that’s a lie. Techno snorts.

“Why are you here, disturbin’ my peace?”

“I just wanted to check in,” he insists, glancing back at Wilbur before he can stop himself.

Techno’s eyebrow twitches again. When he doesn’t say anything, Dream pulls the regeneration potion from his inventory and ignores the way Techno automatically reaches for his sword. The potion shimmers in his hands, shifting between deeply pigmented purples and pinks.

“Regeneration,” he explains, like that’s all it is. “I figured you’d be running low, so...here.”

He shoves the bottle into Techno’s hands.

“Give that to Wilbur when he wakes up,” he continues, and then, before he can stop himself from the lie: “I think it’ll be soon, if I—”

“How long did that take you to brew?”

Dream shrugs. “Oh, you know. A few days, probably, I’m not really sure.”

It’s only been a few days since the war and they both know it but Techno, thankfully, doesn’t seem interested in calling Dream out on his half-truths.

Except then Techno’s eyes narrow as he studies Wilbur’s body and the sparks of Dream’s magic still sticking in the air. He can, unfortunately, pinpoint the exact moment that Techno realizes what he’s done. When Techno looks back up, Dream stares at the wall to avoid his gaze, and he snorts.

“Simp.”

Dream glares at him, bristling before he can stop himself. “I am  _ not— _ look, just because I don’t want my fr— my  _ ally _ to die doesn’t mean I’m a simp!”

“Sounds like somethin’ a simp would say.” Techno sounds far too amused for someone so deadpan, and Dream pushes past him and out of the house.

“Whatever,” he calls over his shoulder. “See if I don’t tell anyone about this place  _ now.” _

Techno scoffs but doesn’t respond, simply trails Dream out into the clearing. Dream walks as steadily and faux-angrily as he can, trying not to show how fatigued he is even though Techno probably already knows.

“Dream,” Techno calls as Dream reaches the edge of the clearing. “Thank you.”

He turns and nods, smiling even though Techno can’t see it. A second later, he steps into the trees and disappears into the forest.

He’ll sleep for a day or so to regain his energy, and then he’ll find Philza; he’s sure the man will love to know where two of his sons disappeared to. Techno won’t mind, no matter how much he postures and says he will, and Wilbur needs to see his dad. To make amends, if nothing else.

Dream sighs, flexing his fingers to chase away the lingering buzz of energy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> imagine knowing wtf Dream's powers are and how they work. could not be me

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are greatly appreciated 💛

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Change of Fate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442619) by [Charlie_the_Uncreative](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_the_Uncreative/pseuds/Charlie_the_Uncreative)




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